


The Average Person's Guide to ((Astrophysics)) Landing Your Crush

by Alyson



Series: 101 Ways to Fall [17]
Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: AU, About to Start Residency McCoy, Astrophysicist Jim Kirk, BFF Gaila, Coffee, Coffee Shop, Dorks, Fluff, Idiots in Love, M/M, Modern Setting, Mutual Pining, Not really cause Jim is not Bones' teacher, Teacher-Student Relationship, Valentine's Day Offering, gratuitous tagging
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-22
Updated: 2020-10-23
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:40:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22366531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alyson/pseuds/Alyson
Summary: Coffee Shop AU - Jim has been coming into Leonard's work for awhile, typing away on his computer, drinking coffee.  All Leonard can do is watch and wish he were the cup, or the keyboard.  Or, maybe he can get his man?  Without embarrassing himself?
Relationships: James T. Kirk/Leonard "Bones" McCoy
Series: 101 Ways to Fall [17]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/653723
Comments: 29
Kudos: 94





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Lord I suck at summaries. Anyhow, if you followed along with my Advent calendar this past December, you'll remember a little story about two dorks in a coffee shop that I promised I wasn't fond of and wanted to fill out. Well, here it is! The first few lines are the same as in the previous story, but the rest is radically different. Hell, the first chapter of this is longer than the entire other story LOL. It is not necessary to read one story to enjoy the other, they have nothing to do with each other. (This will be the better one, hint hint).

The Average Person's Guide to ~~Astrophysics~~ Landing Your Crush

“Good afternoon, Dr. McCoy!”

“Ha, ha, Gaila, real cute.”

Leonard walked through the back of Daily Java, the coffee shop that he worked at while attending medical school, and promptly flicked a laughing Gaila with a towel. He grinned as she shrieked and danced away, then turned to grab his apron and tie it around his waist.

“You will be some day,” she insisted. “You're the smart one.”

“You're the smart one, too,” he replied. “But yeah, it's coming along. Hell, next year I'll finally be able to start my residency, and you won't have my smiling face around here anymore.”

“You better be doing that residency local, so I can still make your coffee.”

“I'll do my best.”

McCoy wandered out front to wipe down tables and push in chairs. He had the afternoon shift, so it wasn't really busy, being in between the morning rush and the evening 'hip' crowd. People would be wandering in and out throughout the day, but there wouldn't be an actual rush for awhile. There was, however, one regular.

Jim. He came in every day and sat at his laptop, drinking coffee and pounding away at the keys. Leonard didn't know what he was working at, but it was clearly something intense. The Great American Novel, he often mused, or the latest Blockbuster. Sometimes he'd head outside and take a phone call, probably making some movie deal.

Yeah, Leonard was smitten, and living in a fantasy land where the blond headed, blue eyed man with the strong jaw was concerned.

“Hey, Bones!” Jim exclaimed when he saw him, something he'd been doing ever since he found out he was a medical student. “How's classes?”

“Um, pretty good, um, actually,” he stuttered, blushing and feeling like an idiot. “You, um, ready for a refill?”

“Yes I am,” he said, handing over his 'for here' mug and flashing a dazzling smile that just made Leonard's face burn hotter.

“God damn it,” he muttered angrily to himself once he was behind the counter and out of earshot. “Way to go, man, make yourself look a complete moron. He probably thinks you're an idiot. Not like you stand a chance anyhow.”

“Hey, Bones?” Jim called from his seat, startling McCoy out of his self deprecating thoughts. “I forgot to tell you. Could you make that decaf? I've been hitting the high octane a little hard, trying to finish my book.”

“Sure thing,” Leonard called over his shoulder. He turned back to the machines, hoping that the other man hadn't heard his mutterings.

While Leonard ground the decaf beans and began the process of making the fresh cup, he thought about the other man sitting at the table and what he knew about him. He knew he was a writer, but he didn't know what he was writing. Hell, he didn't even know his last name. He knew was that he had to be the prettiest man he had ever seen and he made his belly flip in ways that couldn't be healthy. He knew he had a smile that lit up the room. He knew that seeing him was the highlight of his day. He also knew that he wanted to know a lot more than that.

McCoy wasn't what one would call a brave man. He wouldn't get on an airplane; never had, so help him, he hoped he never would. He almost married a woman because he had been too chicken to fess up about not being in love with her after all. Thankfully too much whiskey and being caught making out with the best man at their engagement party had taken care of that (he did apologize for that, but she was never going to speak to him again). He could, however, force himself to be brave if he really put his mind to it, something the engagement incident taught him to be better about. Now, he decided, was the time for that kind of forced bravery.

He walked the cup back to Jim once it was done, his heart lodged firmly in his throat at the thought of what he was about to do – break their Routine.

“Here ya go, Jim,” he said, trying to sound normal and casual. “Uh, by the way, can I ask you... what are you working so hard on over here? It's OK if you don't want to talk about it and all, I know sometimes people...”

“It's OK, Bones, I don't mind talking about it,” Jim laughed, interrupting what was turning into a rambling speech. “Are you allowed to sit down for a minute?”

“Oh, perfect timing!” Gaila announced, suddenly appearing as if out of nowhere. “I was just coming out to give Leonard a break! Sit down, I'll get your usual!”

McCoy turned a wide eyed, panicked look on her. He hadn't been to work but maybe twenty minutes, he was far from due for a break. Surely Jim knew that, too. But, when he looked back at the golden haired man, he was giving Leonard one of those heart stopping smiles that seemed all too sincere and not the least bit knowing while pushing the chair across from him out with his foot.

“Well, OK,” Leonard agreed nervously, giving his best imitation of a smile, hoping it didn't come across as a grimace, or just plain frightening.

“I figure you're on your feet most of the day,” Jim shrugged. “Wouldn't hurt to take a load off.”

“Yeah, no, I can sit. You seem to spend a lot of time on your behind,” he replied and immediately wished he could go back in time just far enough to smack himself in the back of the head. It was not the witty reply he was aiming for. Jim, however, threw his head back and laughed so hard Leonard was afraid he'd fall out of his seat.

“You're right,” he chortled as he calmed down, wiping a stray tear from the corner of one eye. “It's why I make sure to hit the gym on a regular basis.”

Leonard was saved from himself (and imagining Jim in tight clothes lifting weights) by Gaila delivering his coffee. As she walked off, she gave him an encouraging pat to the shoulder. He took a sip of the too hot beverage just to calm himself down.

“So,” Leonard began, pretending he hadn't just made an ass of himself. “What are you writing? Do you have other books out, or is this a first?”

“This is my first,” Jim announced proudly. “It's an astrophysics for the average person type of book I've been working on for awhile now and am almost done with.”

“Oh, wow, that's awesome,” Leonard responded sincerely. He was thinking it was some kind of popular fiction type novel, drama or a crime thriller. He always pictured Jim in a cramped apartment filled with paperback novels, typing away on his laptop while a haze of smoke filled the room (where the smoke came from he had no idea since he didn't picture Jim as a smoker). Now, he was thinking of him sitting under the stars, head tilted back, the sky reflected in his eyes. It was a more appealing thought.

“Thanks,” Jim said, breaking Leonard out of his thoughts. “I'm actually an astrophysics professor at the college you attend.”

“I don't think I've seen you around...”

“Oh, I've been on sabbatical the past year. You know, working on my book.”

“Oh, I see,” Leonard smiled. “Astrophysics for us average people, huh? I always thought it sounded like a really complicated subject. How do you dumb it down for someone like me?”

“Well, first of all, you're not what I'd call average. You're studying to become a doctor, after all. And second, it's not really dumbing it down. Just putting it in terms the non-astrophysicist would understand. For example, let's talk about how nebulae form.”

*~*~*~*~*

Leonard didn't know how long he sat there, just listening to Jim talk. If he had to take a quiz on the information he was being given... well, actually, he might pass it, he thought with some humor. Jim was funny, smart, well spoken, and very good at getting his thoughts across. He was ticking every box Leonard had for a man to date and he had to admit, he was swooning a bit more than he usually did when interacting with him. He knew that was because he was now more than just a pretty face with a dazzling smile. He was likable and passionate.

He absently picked up his coffee to finish off, only to find it was ice cold. With a jolt, he realized he had been sitting there far longer than a normal break would allow. He really had lost track of time.

“Jim, I'm sorry, I hate to interrupt,” he reluctantly broke in, “but I think I'm past time I should have ended my break.”

“Oh, wow, sorry, man,” Jim said, looking at his own watch in horror. “I get carried away.”

“No, it's fine, I was enjoying the talk,” Leonard tried reassuring him, but he wasn't sure how well he was doing. “You'll have to tell me more later.”

“I'd like that,” Jim grinned, then stood up and began to pack up his laptop. “I have a meeting I've got to get to. Thanks for the company. See ya later.”

“Yeah, see ya.”

Leonard watched him walk out the door, past the windows, and around the corner of the building, glancing at his watch as he went. He stood there, staring at the spot Jim had disappeared, until Gaila came up behind him startling him.

“Well, that went well.”

“Jesus, woman!” he jumped. “Gotta put a bell on you!”

“You wish you could collar me,” she grinned.

“You wish I would,” he grinned right back before scowling at her again. “How long was I talking to him?

“Oh, maybe forty minutes?”

“What!? He has to know that's not a normal break period,” McCoy complained. “And he had to know I hadn't been here long enough to take a break in the first place.”

“Now, hold on,” Gaila snapped, holding a finger in his face and making him step back. “Number one, he doesn't know when you got in. You could have been doing inventory in the back for all he knew. Number two, this was a favor and you owe me a thank you, not your grumpy attitude. And number three, he is so into you. He had no idea how long you were sitting there; he was too busy gazing at you longingly.”

“You think he's into me?”

Gaila made a noise that had Leonard wondering if he should check her for a hernia while she threw up her hands and walked away in exasperation before turning back to him.

“He clearly comes in here for you,” she insisted. “He watches you while you work. He looks for you when you're not here. You have a day off? He looks so disappointed. That smile of his you clearly love so much doesn't show until you do. Yeah, he's into you.”

“Huh,” Leonard thought, looking back towards the door as a customer walked in, absorbed in his phone, “maybe I should do something about that.”

“Ya think?”

*~*~*~*~*

There was no meeting.

Jim Kirk walked out of his favorite coffee shop, rounded the corner, stopped, and proceeded to gently bang his head against the wall of the building.

“Oh my god,” he said to himself. “Way to go, you dork. Cutest barista in the world actually sits down and talks to you and you make a damn fool of yourself! I'm sure he was real impressed with the hyena impression you did whenever he said something kinda funny or the way you went on and on about your book. He's a doctor, Jim, not a physicist! And how about the 'I work out' line? Oh god, I'm so stupid.”

Finally done berating himself, Jim heaved a sigh and continued on home, hoping he had better luck controlling himself the next time he saw 'Bones.'


	2. Chapter 2

Leonard arrived early the next day for classes and stopped in the student cafeteria, bypassing the breakfast line and heading straight for a table near a window in the back. He set up his laptop, connected to the university's wifi, and surfed to their websites. From there it was just a few clicks until he was looking at the adjunct and associate professors for the sciences department.

“Jim, Jim, Jim,” he muttered to himself as he scrolled down, glancing at first names and pictures. “James?”

And there he was: James T. Kirk, Associate Professor, Astrophysics. The man in the picture staring back at him was him, but with slightly less scruff, better styled hair and a gentle tilt of his lips as opposed to the full blown grins Leonard was accustomed to seeing. It was clearly a professional picture. Without even considering what he was doing, Leonard right clicked and down loaded it.

That done, he packed up and headed out of the cafeteria (he made it a rule to never drink the coffee or eat the food there) and made his way across the quad. Knowing he was still early for his first class, he entered the sciences building where he took his gross anatomy class but bypassed the second floor and kept climbing the stairs to the third floor without hesitation. Before he knew what he was doing, he was standing in front of a door he had never had reason to stand in front of before. Being honest with himself, he didn't have a reason at that point either.

Office 322, the number that had been under Jim's picture as part of his biography.

“I've become a stalker,” he huffed, chastising himself, and began to turn away. Much to his horror, however, a young man had approached from the other end of the hallway without him noticing and was moving in front of him and sliding a key into the lock.

“Hello, hello!” he said far too jovially for 7:35 AM as he opened the door and flipped on the light. “How can I help you? Mr....?”

“McCoy,” Leonard said automatically, and desperately wished he hadn't. His damn mouth not checking in with his brain.

“Mr. McCoy!” the young man said brightly in what Leonard realized suddenly was a Russian accent. “How can I help you? Are you in one of Mr. Spock's classes?”

“Um, no, um I was here about Mr. Kirk,” Leonard said, having no idea where he was going with that. He felt his face go flush.

“I am Pavel, Mr. Kirk and Mr. Spock's teaching assistant, but Mr. Kirk has been on sabbatical for about a year. Are you a previous student? He is coming back next semester and many students are looking forward to taking his classes; he is very popular. I can check for you what classes he's teaching next semester?”

“Um, yes, thank you,” Leonard smiled finally, following the younger man inside the tiny office with three desks crammed in together, latching on to the out he was given. Maybe he could get out of there without making a fool of himself. “Yeah, I was hoping to take a class of his next semester.”

“Wonderful! It takes a minute for this dinosaur to boot, then I will print you off the list with the current openings. So, what class were you thinking of taking?”

“Uh,” Leonard realized he wasn't getting out of there without making a fool of himself, after all. “I was thinking one of the astronomy classes.”

“There are two,” Pavel looked at him, tilting his head. “Intro and practical. Practical is only for astronomy majors. Are you an astronomy major?”

Leonard had a feeling he had been sussed out. There was no way there were so many astronomy majors that this kid wouldn't recognize them all.

“No,” he admitted, but rallied. “I want to take the intro class. I heard non majors could take that as their science requirement.”

“They can,” Pavel agreed as he logged into the college server and found the correct page, typing in KIRK in the search field for class openings by professor. “But you look too old to be a first or even second year student. You look more like one of the senior medical students I see every day on the first and second floors. I think you are. I think you are the grumpy one.”

“And I think you're too young to be anyone's TA, especially the way you talk like you've been one for more than a year,” he shot back, not realizing he was proving the kid's point about being the 'grumpy one.'

“I am seventeen,” Pavel said primly as he hit the print button. “And I've been a TA for two years.”

“Oh, he's seventeen,” McCoy mocked. “How old were you when you started college?”

“Fourteen.”

“And you were a TA the very next year?” he said, his tone changing to one of amazement. “Damn kid, you're some kind of genius, aren't you.”

“Smart enough to know why you want to take one of Mr. Kirk's classes,” he grinned evilly as he handed Leonard the page he printed off. “It's OK. You are not the first one to take one of his classes because he is a very handsome man. I won't tell. Oh, Intro to Astronomy also counts as an elective for anyone in the sciences division, medicine included.”

“Thanks, kid,” he sighed, deflating and accepting that he had been discovered as a stalker and hoping that Pavel was serious about not telling Jim he had been there. Hopefully by the time Jim got back to his office the next semester, Pavel would have forgotten all about this.

“No problem. Have a nice day.”

“You too,” he nodded, heading out and downstairs to his first class of the day.

Leonard folded the paper in his hand up and tucked it into the pocket of his jeans as he walked down the stairs. He honestly had no idea what he thought he was doing. He wasn't actually going to take one of Jim's classes. That would be too humiliating. He still didn't know what he thought he was going to learn seeing the man's office, or why he hadn't thought about the fact he'd have to be sharing it like every other professor McCoy had ever known. He was so glad the man was on sabbatical.

*~*~*~*~*~*

“Good morning, Jim,” Pavel smiled from his desk where he had been grading papers. “I didn't expect to see you until tomorrow.”

“Yeah, I needed to submit my revised syllabi. It's just easier to do it from here. Anything new?”

“Oh, yes, one of your admirers came in to find out what you are teaching next semester.”

“Do not let Intro to Astronomy fill up with lit majors,” he sighed. “We have to make sure that astronomy, cosmology, and astrophysics majors get in first. Then the lit majors can have at it.”

“Oh, no worries, I normally discourage your fans from taking it if I can. This one, however, seemed your type.”

“Oh, so we're playing match maker, are we?”

“Normally, no, but he was different.”

“He? Well, that's a more promising start than usual. Not some poor lass barking up the wrong tree.”

“He is tall, dark hair, very fit for a medical student.”

“Wait, what?” Suddenly Jim's heart was in his throat. “A medical student? From this school?”

Now Pavel was looking at him as if he had grown an extra head. The people he was dealing with...

“Why would a medical student from another school be here asking about your classes?”

“I... OK, yeah. Did he give you his name?”

“I told him I wouldn't tell.”

“We both know you were ly...”

“Mr. McCoy.”

“That...” Jim stared at him, searching his mind and coming up blank. “That doesn't help me. I don't know his last name.”

“Who's last name? Oh! You think it might be your barista?”

“Um, no, that's stupid,” Jim laughed self deprecatingly. “There's no way that he came up here looking for my office the day after I told him I'm a professor here and he intends to take one of my classes.”

“Yes, there's no way that could happen,” Pavel said sarcastically. “This must be another dark haired medical student who actually knows who you are.”

“Wait. What color were his eyes?”

“What? How would I know that? I'm not the one gazing at him with longing.”

“You know, you're kind of an asshole,” Jim said, narrowing his eyes at his TA, “and way too bitter for your age.”

“Age is a meaningless number,” Pavel responded, lifting his chin and looking down the slope of his nose at the other man. “I am an old soul.”

“You are an occasionally obnoxious pain and a frequent procrastinator,” Professor Spock said as he squeezed through the door and to his own desk. “I need those papers before three, Mr. Chekov.”

“Oh, yes sir, Mr. Spock,” he answered, turning red. “I am almost done.”

Spock raised an eyebrow at Pavel before turning to Jim.

“Is this about the barista?” he asked knowingly.

“Yeah. Pavel said a medical student came up here asking about my classes. He thinks he's my barista, Bones. But he only got his last name, McCoy. I don't know Bones' last name.”

“We can look up students,” Spock reminded him. “Knowing his major and last name help. Do you know his first name? Or did his parents hate him?”

“No, I started calling him that when I found out he's a medical student,” Jim laughed, but then suddenly froze. “But, he never told me his name. Oh my god, I don't know his name at all! I just gave him a stupid nick name without finding out what his name is!”

Spock rolled his eyes and began typing into his computer.

“I have found two medical students that are male and whose last name is McCoy.”

“Um, he's about to start his residency. Wait. Pavel, are you sure the guy who came up here asked about taking a class of mine next semester?”

“Um,” Pavel looked like he was rerunning the conversation through his head, then looked mildly guilty. “Actually, he seemed like he didn't know what he wanted. I just assumed, when he mentioned he was there for you, that he was looking into taking a class.”

“OK, this actually could be completely innocent,” Jim shook his head. “He just found out I work here. If it was the barista, he might have just been coming by to say good morning. I did talk his ear off yesterday about my book.”

“You did? But didn't you tell him you are on sabbatical?”

“Yeah, I did.”

“Did you say you come to your office sometimes?”

“No.”

“Then why would he think you'd be here?”

“I have one that fits male, McCoy, starting residency,” Spock interrupted them. “Leonard McCoy.”

“Actually, is that what the other barista called him? Damn it, she actually said his name yesterday, but I was so happy he was about to sit down and talk to me I wasn't paying attention. I don't know,” Jim turned to face Spock's computer, happy to put his back to Pavel. “Why isn't there a picture of him? There are pictures of us!”

“Yes, I too believe they should upload pictures of students with their files,” Spock agreed, “but they don't.”

“Well, that doesn't help me.”

“On the contrary,” Spock smirked. “When you see your barista next, find out what his name actually is. Then you'll know.”

“If it is him,” Pavel cut in, “he's clearly stalking you.”

“Shut up, you curly headed asshole,” Jim teased, before finally settling down to get some actual work done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you follow me on tumblr (alysonscarborough.tumblr.com) you may have seen that I posted that pic of Pine. I just learned how to link a pic into my fic LOL


	3. Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know why this took me so long. Sorry for the wait, I know where I'm going now LOL.

Leonard made it to work in record time, popping through the front door instead of the back in hopes of seeing Jim first thing. Unfortunately, he wasn't there. No one was. Gaila came bustling out of the back once she heard the door chime, and she seemed surprised to see him.

'You don't come through the front door,” she said, leaning against the counter.

“Yeah, well,” Leonard hedged, all but scuffing his toe against the floor.

“Ooooo, you were hoping to see Mr. Dreamy,” Gaila teased, but then sobered. “I'm sorry, hon, he hasn't been in yet.”

“Well, he's not here every day,” Leonard sighed in disappointment. “I'll get over it.”

He went to the back and got ready for his shift, his good day blown no matter how much he kept telling himself it was no big deal, that Jim didn't come in every day, that...

“Oh, Leonard?” he vaguely heard Gaila up front talking to a customer, his ears automatically picking up his own name and tuning in. If they hadn't, he still would have heard Gaila as she raised her voice just loud enough to get his attention. “He's here, just getting some more sugar packs from the back.”

“Real subtle,” he bitched as he quickly finished tying on his apron and grabbing a handful of sugar packets. He walked out, shoved the sugar in the already full container on the condiment counter and turned to see Jim.

Jim, who was giving him an almost wide eyed stare and not paying attention as Gaila finished his coffee and tried to hand it to him. She had to clear her throat before he broke eye contact and took it from her with a squeaked out 'thanks' and high tailed it to his usual seat. One eyebrow raised, Leonard turned to Gaila with a questioning look. All she could do was shrug.

Leonard spent the next twenty minutes wiping down the counters, cleaning the traps on the machines, and basically anything that would keep him busy for awhile. When he had nothing else to do behind the counter, he rounded it into the seating area and began wiping down tables and pushing in chairs. Finally, he couldn't put it off anymore, and he approached Jim, who seemed to have calmed down into his usual self.

“Hey, Bones,” he smiled up at him as he came up to stand next to him. “Or should I say, Leonard.”

“Hey, you're the one who picked a nick name for me and didn't bother asking me what my real name was,” Leonard smiled back, relaxing. He didn't know what Jim's weird behavior had been about, but he seemed to be over it.

“You know, I think that should be rectified,” Jim said as he stood up and held his hand out to Leonard. “Jim Kirk.”

“Leonard McCoy,” he said, shaking the offered hand.

Jim stiffened up, but relaxed so fast Leonard was sure he either imagined it or the other man just had experienced a weird chill. Either way he didn't comment on it, just pointed to the empty mug on the table as Jim sat back down.

“You ready for a refill?” he asked.

“Sure, thanks!”

Leonard headed back behind the counter. Before he could get started, however, Jim spoke, making sure his voice was loud enough for Leonard to hear behind the counter.

“Sorry I wasn't in at my usual time. I decided to go to my office today to file some paperwork.”

“Oh yeah?” Leonard answered, cold dread clutching his heart even as he tried to convince himself the other man wasn't saying what he thought he was saying. “You have a home office, or something? I can't imagine you'd want to go back to your office on campus, being on sabbatical and all.”

“Actually, I have been a couple of times a month,” the other man continued. “There are resources that are easier to access from my office computer than from my home. Plus, I like to talk to my office mates to see what they've been up to, hear the gossip.”

“The gossip?”

“Yeah,” Jim laughed. “I occasionally get students, non science majors, mind you, that come up to the office to find out if I have a class with an opening they qualify to take, that might count towards an elective, or something.”

“Oh, really.”

“Yeah. I mean, if they're in the medical tract, that's fine, they can use some of my classes for credit. But the lit students. I've got assignments back in rhyming pentameter. Gotta say, it's unorthodox, but my astrophysics students don't possess that kind of creativity.” 

“That's really funny,” Leonard said, without so much as a smile on his face, as he brought back the cup to hand over to Jim. “I can't imagine what that would look like. Why do you think these lit students want to take one of your classes?”

“I don't know,” Jim said quietly, looking up at Leonard with a sparkle in his too blue eyes. “Maybe they got a crush. I have been told I'm not awful to look at.”

“Or maybe they just want to find out more about you and have no intentions of taking a class,” Leonard swallowed hard. “You're not so bad to talk to, either.” 

“That could be true, too,” Jim went on, not breaking eye contact. “But they would be barking up the wrong tree. I'm not into lit students. The stuff they read is nice, but not something I could really talk to them about. My reading material tends to be on the dry side. Medical texts are kind of dry, too, aren't they?”

“Real dry,” Leonard confirmed, his mouth doing a fair imitation of said text.

“See, you're the type of man I could talk to,” Jim continued, sitting up straighter, a bold smile tilting his mouth. “I find medical students much more interesting.”

“Yeah?” Leonard smiled back, leaning a little to prop himself up on the back of a chair. 

“Yeah. Interesting to talk to. Like what two people, who are interested in each other, do over dinner.”

“And how many medical students have you talked to over dinner?”

Suddenly, Leonard's smile froze on his face and Jim's face went red as they stared at each other, processing what he had just said.

“I haven't... with any of my students...”

“I didn't mean... I don't think... I'm not your student!”

They found themselves talking over each other and tripping over their own tongues, completely horrified. Leonard stood upright abruptly, knocking over the chair he had been leaning on seductively, and nearly falling himself. Seeing him stumble, Jim stood up with enough force to send his own chair flying and reached for him, tripping over his own feet and taking down Leonard who had actually regained his balance and would have been fine if Jim hadn't tried to save him. They landed in a tangled heap on the floor.

“I am so sorry,” Jim said from the vicinity of Leonard's collar bone after a moment of silence.

“It's OK,” he replied, voice smaller than normal from the shock of landing on the floor with his crush on top of him. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I think I am.”

“OK, good, I gotta go clean something.”

“Yeah, yeah, I've got lesson planning to do.”

With that, they helped each other off the floor and went back to their individual tasks, unable to look at each other. Jim had his laptop packed up and was out the door almost before Leonard made it behind the counter. Leonard looked up when the bell jangled and sadly watched him walk around the corner of the building.

“What the hell just happened?” Gaila exclaimed as she came out of the back and took in the sight of a rumpled Leonard and two over turned chairs.

“That? That was me making an ass out of myself and well and truly blowing it,” he said, doing his best to straighten out his hair before heading back out to pick up the chairs.

“Oh, honey, I'm sure it's not that bad. Come on, we can figure this out.”

“I don't want to talk about it,” he brushed past her as he headed to the back. “Just, watch the front. Call me if it gets busy.”

Leonard slunk to the break room to lick his wounds. He knew Gaila was upset for him, and he hated her feeling that way, but there wasn't much he could do about it. He had completely destroyed any chance he had with Jim because he couldn't flirt to save his life.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Without even thinking about it, Jim ended up back at his office, tiredly pushing open the door and tossing his bag onto his desk.

“To what do I owe this encore appearance?” Spock asked from where he was lounging in his chair, his feet kicked up onto Pavel's desk.

“I... what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in class? I was expecting Pavel.”

“Mr. Chekov needs practical knowledge and is teaching my afternoon Introduction to Physics class.”

“Bull shit. You hate that class. You're just being lazy. And get your feet off his desk.”

Spock rolled his eyes, but complied, straightening up at his desk. Jim knew that if he had been expected he would have never caught the prim and proper professor relaxing like that.

“You are avoiding my question. I expected you would spend the rest of the day working on your revisions in the comfort of the coffee shop with the company of your barista. Was he not the medical student who Pavel spoke with yesterday?”

“You know what Spock?” Jim started as he violently pulled notebooks out of his rucksack. “You are easily the nosiest person I have ever met. You just want something to gossip about behind my back with Pavel.”

“You're getting defensive, Jim.”

“I fucked it up!” he exploded, swiveling in his chair to face his office mate. Jim took a deep breath, ran his hand over his face and through his hair, and tried to calm down. “I was flirting, like really bad flirting, trying to be cute about knowing he came to the office yesterday and ask him out, and I totally fucked it up. It was so embarrassing.”

“It couldn't have possibly been as bad as you're making it out to be,” Spock hedged, not really sounding like he believed that.

“Oh, I'm not exaggerating,” Jim laughed bitterly, then told him everything. When he was done, Spock's dark eyes were wide and he was holding his jaw in a way Jim knew meant his perpetually calm demeanor was about to be blown.

“Don't you laugh at me.”

“I would never,” Spock replied, the haughtiness he usually aimed at such a suggestion seriously strained with amusement. “I still think you're over reacting to the conversation. It was a euphemism that got out of hand and I'm willing to bet he was just as embarrassed as you were, but you two embarrassed yourselves, not each other. I don't think this is unsalvageable.”

“I went to help him stop falling, AFTER he stopped himself, and knocked him over.”

“Yes, you two will have something to laugh about over dessert.”

“Spoooock,” Jim complained, dropping his face into his hands. “I just wanna wallow in humiliation.”

“Very well. Let me know when you're finished.”

After several minutes of hiding his face from the world while silently screaming inside his head, Jim looked back up.

“OK, pull up his student record again.”

“I never closed it.”

Cocky bastard, Jim thought with a smirk. Good thing he was on his side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know, but I have a tendency to make it too easy on them. I had to give them a little bit of trouble! Don't forget to follow me on Tumblr for updates and just randomness :) . It's also where I'll occasionally ignore you, but only if RL is being needy. alysonscarborough.tumblr.com


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! This is radically late! The good news is, it's finished. This pandemic has been a bitch to all of us, but I'm doing well and I really hope all of you are doing well as well. Follow me on tumblr @alysonscarborough for better updates then this.

Leonard loved his classes, he really did. Especially his anatomy classes. Now that he was on the verge of graduating, he had access to materials and specimens that the younger students didn't, and even got the chance to study cadavers without supervision. He loved it, he was happy to go to class, so even at his grumpiest he normally waltzed into the room like he owned the place. But, not that morning. The morning after the Flirting Disaster.

He stumbled in, barely bothering to lift his feet fully off the ground, and slumped into his seat. He slowly pulled his notebook out, situating that along with his text book and pens as if he was building a barricade around himself, no matter how meager. If he could just disappear, all would be right with the world.

He managed to make it in that morning without running into anyone he didn't want to see, namely Jim and Pavel. He was dreading leaving after class and risking seeing either of them. If he never saw them again...

“Mr. McCoy,” his professor called him from the front of the room as he entered, causing everyone to turn towards the front then glance back at McCoy. “I have a message for you.”

With every eye on him, Leonard made his way up front. He was curious as to who could have possibly sent him a hand written note, because that was clearly what was in the professor's hand, to his first class of the day. He didn't have long to wait to find out. The professor was happy to tell him, in a voice loud enough for the entire class to hear, even as he was taking the folded paper from the other's hand. The man did not have volume control.

“I didn't know you were in any of Professor Kirk's classes. Actually, I thought he was still on sabbatical. How on earth do you even know each other?”

“I make his coffee,” he said as quietly as he could, hoping the other man would take the hint and lower his voice. “ I mean, I'm a barista and he goes to my shop. Um...”

”That must be a hell of a cup of coffee!” he laughed, proving he did have another setting – louder. “No matter, he asked me to give this to you before you left today. Thought I better get it over with while I was thinking about it. You know how forgetful I can be.”

The professor smiled congenially, clearly thinking he had done an outstanding job of not forgetting to give Leonard his missive. Leonard did his best to return the smile even as his chest filled with ice and he mechanically turned around to head back to his seat. Unfortunately, he got a clear view of how the rest of the class was staring at him, some of them already leaning into each other to whisper furiously.

It was like he was moving through jelly. He didn't want to run to his seat, but his legs didn't seem to want to move fast enough, either. They were all talking. One gave him a thumbs up, another winked at him. Still more scowled his way, whispers of 'Him? Mr. McGrumpy? Seriously?' following him from a few disgruntled women. A couple of people even leered at him and made comments on how they take their coffee. He finally made it back to his seat and sunk down as low as he could, trying to disappear.

He hadn't realized until then just how popular Mr. Kirk was. Now that he saw how many people wanted the man, just in one class, he knew the note in his hand must be telling him it was a mistake, that he wouldn't be seeing him again. In his humiliation from the day before he thought that was what he wanted, but actually faced with the reality of not seeing Jim again... Leonard's heart broke.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Jim stood, just out of sight, at the door of Bones' class, desperately wishing the floor would open up and swallow him whole. Or it would do Leonard that favor. What an incredible cluster fuck.

This had all been Spock's idea. Write him a note, express what he couldn't in person without it becoming horribly awkward, ask one of his professor's to give it to him before he left class that day. Therefore, the disaster that had just unfolded was all Spock's fault.

Except, Spock had suggested that he give the note to Leonard's second professor of the day, a woman Spock knew to be discreet. Professor number one had been an unknown, someone neither had more than a passing acquaintance with. But Jim couldn't wait, he had to get the note into Leonard's hands. The instructions had been simple. How was he supposed to know the crazy son of a bitch would interpret them the way he had, or that he would call Leonard up front like a recalcitrant child.

Now he watched a man that just might be the love of his life (if the universe would give them a damn chance) in horror as he walked a gauntlet of gossip and jealousy. He'd be lucky if the man actually gave him another chance.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Leonard never missed classes, and even though he felt like the bottom had fallen out of his entire universe, that day was no different. It was touch and go, though. People were still talking and it was getting harder to ignore them.

The note was burning a hole in his pocket. It would have been a simple matter to open it and read it between classes, but he couldn't bring himself to unfold the square of paper and read the words he knew were there. He held it in his hands, turning it over and over, wondering how something so innocent looking could really hold the destruction of his heart.

For a brief moment, he entertained the thought that maybe it was a love note, but after the way their last meeting had gone, he knew it couldn't be that. He thought maybe it was an apology. That was more likely, but in the 'I'm sorry, but I can never see you gain. You reminded me that students are off limits.' way. The most likely scenario, though, was 'Sorry, students are off limits, and you reminded me why. Whew! I dodged a bullet.' Worst case would be the words 'I realized you're just not good enough for me.' but he didn't think he would be cruel enough to write them down.

In the end, he was so convinced he knew what the general tone of the letter was going to be and didn't want to know the details, that he didn't open it and read it. He stood up, walked over to the nearest trash receptacle, and tossed it in. Promising himself he'd spend the night nursing his broken heart, he headed off to his next class, not seeing the hand that reached into the trash can and pulled the note back out.

*~*~*~*~*~*

“Oh, my god, I can't believe how bad that went,” Jim whined into the surface of his desk.

“I did tell you to wait,” Spock reminded him.

“I know.”

“That professor was a wild card.”

“The wildest.”

“He has the letter, though?”

“Yes. He had to deal with his classmates, but he has it. I thought lit majors were bad.”

“Everyone who is interested in you seems to be 'bad.' Perhaps you should grow a beard or get a scar.”

“That would just make me mysterious,” Jim finally picked up his head and glared at Spock. “I can't believe you're suggesting I get injured to make myself less desirable.”

“I did suggest a beard first.”

“Eh, you're just talking to hear your own voice at this point. I need to gather my dignity and get going. I've got a romantic evening to set up.”

“Good luck Jim,” Spock called to his back as he left the office.

“Thanks, Spock!”

*~*~*~*~*~*

The letter, in reality, had been an apology. An apology for a joke that had gotten out of hand and the way Jim had reacted. An apology for knocking Leonard over. A confession about his frequent trips to the coffee shop and how he was always talking about 'his barista.' It spoke of Jim's happiness that Leonard seemed to share his interest in seeing each other and hoped he'd give the idea of them dating one more chance.

The letter included an invitation to a romantic evening the next night, since it was Friday, as well as Jim's private number, in case Leonard was interested in seeing him but wouldn't be able to make it that night. It also stated that Jim would understand the message if he didn't call or show.

Too bad Leonard never read any of that.

*~*~*~*~*~*

The night was beautiful and clear, the stars shining bright in the darkened sky. Jim couldn't have picked a better time or place to meet Leonard. He sat on the bench, waiting, an unopened bottle of wine next to him.

He had asked Leonard to meet him at a popular park, meant for lovers and star gazers. The path was close enough to the benches, and well traveled enough, to be safe, but it was also far enough, and the benches far enough from each other, to give couples a sense of privacy. But not too much privacy. It was great for chatting and holding hands, maybe even a few kisses, but no one was making out.

Well, almost no one, he grimaced as he noticed a couple on the bench to his right start to get hot and heavy.

“Isn't it a shame how some people behave in public,” someone said behind him.

Jim turned to find himself looking up at a leggy blond woman with mischievous blue eyes. Once they made eye contact, she smiled and rounded the side of the bench, sitting without waiting for an invitation.

“I'm sorry,” he said, being sure not to actually sound sorry, “I'm waiting for someone.”

“Oh, I know,” she said sympathetically. “I was taking a walk through here earlier and saw you on this bench with that bottle of wine. I've made my way back and here you are, still alone, the bottle still unopened. I'm sorry for being presumptuous, but it takes me an hour to make the loop. How long have you been waiting?”

Jim frowned and pulled out his phone. Leonard was more than two hours late, and there wasn't a message. He had know Leonard was running late, but he had refused to take out his phone and see just how late. He also hadn't wanted to confirm that the phone had been buzz free all night. He just didn't want to admit that it was over before it had ever had a chance to truly start.

Their potential relationship murdered, bleeding out on the coffee shop floor.

“Far longer than I thought I'd be,” he finally admitted, feeling his chest tighten in disappointment. “And I guess I'm not going to be getting a phone call or a text, either. Looks like I've been stood up.”

“A handsome man like you?” she said, sounding outraged on his behalf. “She was clearly not worth your time.”

“I don't think it's that simple,” he sighed, too distraught to care that he was talking to a complete stranger about his love life. “Every time we try, something goes wrong. I guess this last stunt of mine was too much.”

“Well, then, how about you and I opening that bottle and drown your sorrows,” the woman suggested, placing a hand on his shoulder, causing him to look back over at her. “Who knows. Maybe what's happened is for the best. After all, you said things keep going wrong. I'd take that as a sign.”

“Yeah, you're probably right,” Jim had to admit. He picked up the bottle and worked the cork screw into it. “I'm Jim Kirk, by the way.”

“Carol Marcus,” she smiled, accepting a glass of the wine he had brought to enjoy with Bones. “It's a pleasure to meet you.”


	5. Chapter 5

Leonard had the early morning Saturday shift, as usual, and it was hell, as usual. There were the normal, bleary eyed people wanting their coffee 'black, lots of sugar' or some variation of average. There were the other normal, overly cheerful, too wide awake people, ordering the frothy drinks off the menu. Then there were those in between; cranky, special orders that were needlessly complicated, bearing a look that said they would eat your soul if you got it wrong.

It was days like this he wished he worked with Gaila instead of Kevin.

“Kevin!” he shouted towards the back during a lull. “I need that bag of espresso beans! Come on man, put down your phone and get out here!”

“I'm coming, it's right here, hold your horses.”

The young man sauntered out, hoisting a large bag of coffee beans onto the counter. Larger than it should have been. McCoy looked at the label and felt a vein bulge in his temple.

“Espresso, Kevin. That's the medium roast Arabica!”

“Oh, shit, sorry dude. I'll be right back. Just chill.”

Leonard leaned on the counter on his elbows, gripping the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. He was getting a rager of a headache. It didn't help that he had spent the evening before eating junk food, watching horrible movies, and crying on and off. He'd admit to the first two things but never to the last.

The last couple of days had been spent in a torrent of heartbreak, self flagellation, and then anger. At himself, at Jim, at the world. He had grieved, he had raged, and he came out on the other end... not sure how he was feeling.

Throwing away the letter had been stupid and his number one regret. How he had convinced himself he somehow knew exactly what it said was beyond him. He wasn't psychic and, looking back on the events in the coffee shop that led him to believe that Jim would never want to see him again, he could see how panicked they had both acted. In hindsight, it was actually funny.

By Friday morning he had come to the conclusion they were probably just a couple of fools who were having trouble properly connecting. But by then, he discovered, the trash on campus had been taken up. He spent the rest of the day, and night, bemoaning his stupidity.

Now, in the harsh light of yet another day, he wondered if he should stop acting like a drama queen and just go talk to the man. Tell him what a moron he had been and ask him to just tell him what was in the letter. If it was a rejection, then by god, he was going to make him reject him to his face.

The door jangled, admitting another customer. Hope flared that it was Jim, but no such luck. He hoped he came in soon. If not, he didn't know what he was going to do.

*~*~*~*~*~*

It was mid morning when Gaila unexpectedly flew through the door, another woman hot on her heels.

“Leonard!” she shouted, practically running into the counter. “Have you met my friend Ny?”

“No,” he said with some confusion, taking in Gaila's calmer looking companion. “Is it an emergency that I do?”

“Yes, actually, it is, because you know people in common.”

“Ok, nice to meet you. Ms. Ny.”

“Nice to meet you, too, Leonard,” she said warmly before turning all business. “Do you know Carol Marcus?”

“Only in passing, I think,” he replied, having trouble picturing her but knowing she was another student on the medical tract about to graduate.

“Well, she's my roommate, and for the past day or so she's been talking non stop about James Kirk and you and how you don't deserve him and she's going to be the one he takes home. That was last night and she didn't return after going out. Then I found this.”

With a flourish, Ny slammed a piece of paper onto the counter. His heart giving a jolt, Leonard realized it was the note from Jim he had thrown away, now unfolded and smoothed out. He read through it quickly, egged on by the urgency the two women were practically vibrating with.

“Ny had been complaining about it all this morning,” Gaila continued the explanation of how they came to be there right then. “When she said she thought Carol had intercepted the letter and went to interfere with your date, and how she was surprised she didn't come home with her tail between her legs, I realized you never got that letter. I mean, from the texts you were sending me last night, you sure weren't on a date.”

“I... I...” Leonard suddenly remembered her; blue eyes, blond hair cut in a way that screamed 'I want to speak to your manager,' her face being one of the ones scowling at him in class that fateful morning. He turned bright red, more angry with himself then ever. “I am the biggest fool on the planet. That's it, I've lost him for good.”

“Not if you go over there,” Ny said, slamming down another piece of paper, this time with an address on it. “I'm in a long term relationship with Spock. I've been to his apartment.”

“You seem a little dramatic to be dating Spock.”

“Oh, he's far more dramatic than I am.”

“Well, I can't go right now, I've got a shift...”

“I've got this,” Gaila said coming out of the back area, tying on an apron. Leonard had no idea when she had slipped by him. “Kevin! Get off your damn phone!”

“Yes ma'am!”

“He listens to me better than you anyhow. Now go,” she said, snapping him with a towel for once, “get your man.”

“You people need to lay off the coffee,” he snorted even as he was stripping off his apron and running out the door.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Leonard was shaking by the time he made it to the door of Jim's apartment. He couldn't believe he was doing this. There was a really good chance that he was about to walk in on Jim the morning after, what he hoped was, a one night stand. And if he did, who's fault was that? He had stood the man up for a date he didn't know he had, all because he couldn't bring himself to read that stupid note.

He tried calling on his way there but Jim's phone went straight to voice mail. He decided there was no point in leaving a message and just decided to high tail it over there. Maybe he wasn't too late. Maybe, he thought, ringing the door bell. After a moment Jim, wearing nothing but boxers, answered the door. He looked at the man on his doorstep with bleary, red rimmed eyes, uncomprehending for a moment. Suddenly, his face lit up and he was pulling Leonard inside.

“Bones!” he exclaimed, then seemed to wince at the volume of his own voice. “I can't believe you're here! How are you here?”

“What's all the commotion?”

Behind Jim appeared an equally bleary eyed and confused Carol – wearing nothing but her bra and panties. Once again, his heart sank into the pit of his stomach, faced with the evidence that Jim had indeed not gone home alone. He thought about turning around and leaving, but stopped himself, determined to state his piece and give himself a fighting chance of still getting the guy in the end. After all, they weren't seeing each other yet, and Jim didn't know what happened. He had to take the chance.

“Listen here, Carol,” he started, intending to tell her off for taking the note with ill intentions, only to be cut off.

“Leonard!” she exclaimed, practically shoving Jim into the his hall way wall to get to the other man and wrap him in a hug. “I'm so glad you're here! I am so, so sorry. Going after someone else's man... I am better than that.”

“You're not wearing any clothes,” Leonard finally managed to choke out as he untangled himself from her.

“Yes, sorry, I don't really remember that part.”

“I do,” Jim sighed, rubbing his forehead. “We both got too warm and decided to have a stripper contest to see who would make the best pole dancer. I think I broke my coffee table.”

“Ok, I'm going to go find my clothes,” she announced as she patted Leonard on the cheek and turned back to go the way she came.

“I think she's still a little drunk,” Jim mused.

“Are you?” Leonard asked, incredulously.

“No, but I'm incredibly hung over. Please, come the rest of the way in. I need clothes, and coffee.”

“I don't think anyone needs anymore coffee, especially me,” Leonard groused, still wrong footed. “Everyone's lost their damn minds.”

“Huh?”

“Gaila, you, Carol, me, Kevin, some woman named Ny...”

“I don't know who Kevin is, but I know Ny! Oh, that's how you found me! I'll thank her later. Why have we lost our damn minds?”

That was the last straw, Leonard exploded, explaining as eh followed Jim around his apartment, about the day in class when he got the note, how it had to have meant that he hated him, except that was the sign he himself was crazy because what a stupid thing to think just because he delivered a note to the nosiest, loudest professor in the department.

“Yeah, I'm so sorry about that,” Jim winced. “I actually didn't know him very well. I didn't think he would do that.”

“Oh, so you know about that? I guess you know how after I freaked out I decided to throw the letter away only to regret it later but that's all not the crazy! The crazy is finding out Carol plucked the damn thing out of the trash can and decided to horn in on a date I didn't know I was supposed to be going on then the drama twins busting into the coffee shop to tell me I need to stop her from stealing you and me going along with that even though you're not mine and you can do who you want...”

“Do WHO I want?” Jim mouthed almost silently, trying not to laugh at the already irate man.

“...then me ending up here to find you two half naked, hung over, Carol all sorry she did what she did and you two buddy buddy. And you didn't sleep together? Not that it's any of my business.”

Jim, dressed and coffee dripping into his pot, finally let himself laugh as Leonard lost steam. He shook his head then pulled the other man to him, wrapping his arms around his waist.

“You're studying to be a doctor, right?”

“Pretty much am one,” Leonard agreed.

“Then you know what the word homosexual means?”

Leonard, once again, flushed red and dropped his head until his forehead rested against Jim's shoulder.

“No, I didn't sleep with her,” Jim said in a tone no longer tinged with teasing but in all seriousness, his hands wandering over Leonard's back, sides and, finally, his ass. “I was really hoping it would be you I was waking up with this morning.”

Leonard finally looked back up, met Jim's sparkling eyes, and kissed him for all he was worth.

“Holy shit,” he half shouted as he abruptly pulled back. 

“Oh god, I'm sorry Bones,” Jim said, pushing him away. “My morning breath isn't great to begin with but my hangover morning breath can peel paint.”

“Damn it, Jim, go brush your teeth. Something is going to go right for us, so help me.”

With a laugh, Jim nodded and headed out of the kitchen to the bathroom just as Carol came in to snag a cup of coffee.

“I can't believe I was so mean to you,” she said to Leonard as she was pouring. “We're both going to be doctors soon! We have to stick together! And I tried to seduce a gay man. I mean, he could have been bi or pan, but I didn't even ask! I knew he was into you, well, it was terribly immature of me and I hope you can forgive me. Oh, this coffee is terrible. He should try the little cafe Gaila works at.”

She left then, Leonard staring after her in amazement. 

“Looks like we're finally alone,” Jim whispered into his ear as he came up behind him and wrapped his arms around his waist. “Now, where were we?”

Leonard turned in his hold, wrapped his arms around him again, and kissed him senseless.


	6. Epilogue

Leonard did just as Gaila asked. He managed to land his residency at a local hospital (though that was mostly chance), one that to get to he'd have to go right by the Daily Java. Well, if he went out of his way two minutes. Which he would, daily. That residency, however, didn't start until shortly before the next college term started.

Originally, Leonard's plan had been to keep working at the coffee shop if there was a gap between graduating and residency, but since he'd started seeing Jim that had changed. Jim would be returning from his sabbatical around the same time, with a publishing credit under his belt, and even though they hadn't been seeing each other very long, they decided it was the perfect time for them to take a trip. What better way to get to know each other than being stuck in an RV traveling the US together for two months?

It was a Thursday afternoon when Leonard wiped down the counter for the last time, handed Gaila his apron and name tag, and joined his boyfriend and their friends at Jim's usual table with his own drink. It was a tight fit, so Jim got up to let Leonard sit and he sat in his lap. Bones just grinned at him as Gaila and Kevin pulled up chairs next to Pavel, Spock, Nyota, and an also happily graduated Carol.

“Why are you sitting on me?” he asked with a laugh. “You're taller.”

“By like a quarter of an inch,” Jim shrugged. “You're broader. All shoulders and... yeah.”

“Well, I work out.”

The two men laughed at their joke, the others not sure where the humor was, but getting used to them bursting into laughter over the most inane comments.

“I'm glad you two finally got together,” Pavel smiled. “It was getting sad.”

“You didn't go through even half of Jim's breakdowns,” Spock pointed out.

“Exactly. What I witnessed was sad enough. Leonard stalking him to his office, Jim stalking Leonard's student file.”

“Neither of those things were stalking,” Leonard argued.

“No, they were research,” Jim agreed. “Completely reasonable.”

“And you sending him a note in class like a fifth grader was reasonable?” Gaila laughed.

“Yeah, which led to all that drama with Carol,” Leonard somewhat agreed. “No offense, Carol.”

“None taken,” she smiled. “I'm over it.”

“Ny thought you were going to run away with my one true love.”

“No I didn't,” Ny denied as she dipped her biscotti.

“What?” Leonard asked confused. “You all but shoved me out the door to 'go get my man.'”

“Oh, I doubt Ny was concerned, she had tried to reason with me. Saying she knew him and knew he was completely into men, no interest in women.”

“It was Spock's idea,” Ny admitted with a shrug. “I told him what was going on and he suggested we turn up the drama.”

“Yes, well,” Spock hedged before finally confessing. “Everything Jim did failed spectacularly. I decided Leonard needed a push to finally seal the deal.”

“Seal the deal, huh?” Jim laughed. “Spock, you dog, working over time to get me laid.”

“I was simply preserving the peace in the office, of which there had been none since you started coming to this coffee shop.”

“I told you he was more dramatic than me,” Ny grinned.

*~*~*~*~*~*

“I wondered where you went off to,” Jim said as he approached Leonard in the back of the shop.

The other man had moved him from his lap and wandered off several minutes earlier. At first, Jim assumed he had gone to visit the little boy's room, but after awhile, he realized he had actually gone in the wrong direction. With the employees' permission, Jim had rounded the counter and for the first time, saw the area his barista often appeared from like a dream all those days he had been admiring him from afar.

“Only just clocked out for the last time and I'm already feel nostalgic,” Leonard admitted from his seat on a step ladder next to a shelf full of coffee beans.

“That's understandable.”

Jim stepped up to him, making himself at home between the newly minted doctor's long legs. Bones was sitting far enough up the ladder that they were eye to eye when Jim leaned in to kiss him, slow and sweet. They wrapped their arms around each other, Jim moaning into Leonard's mouth as he felt those legs wrap around his hips.

After several minutes of deep kisses and wandering hands, Jim pulled back reluctantly.

“Unless you want to christen this place, we have to stop,” he sighed, unable to resist peppering kisses along the column of Leonard's neck.

“Yeah, that's unsanitary,” Leonard agreed even as he lifted his head to give Jim more room. “Maybe we should get back to your place and christen the bed.”

“Again?”

“And again.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

*~*~*~*~*~*

Everyone waved goodbye to the pair as they headed back to Jim's apartment. They had to get to bed early as they would be leaving before sunrise to start their trip – at least that was their excuse for hurriedly leaving after spending way too long in the back room.

“Two months in an RV, just them,” Ny shook her head. “I don't think I could do that.”

“I'm delightful company,” Spock argued.

“Of course you are,” she smiled as she dropped a kiss to his cheek. “I just need more people and more room than that.”

“It will be fine,” Carol chimed in. “They're still at that stage where they're happily living in each other's pockets.”

“When they're actually wearing pants,” Gaila quipped. She and Carol shared a high five. Everyone else ignored the comment.

“Do they even have a plan for this trip?” Kevin asked, putting down his phone and finally looking like he was paying attention.

“They're going to visit some of the most famous UFO sighting spots in the US,” Gaila informed him.

“Well,” Pavel piped up after taking a long drink from a too large cup, “that trip's going to be a disaster.”

“With those two?” Gail smiled. “No doubt.”

The End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally! Though it's no longer a Valentine's story since it's far too late for that lol. I replied to a few people who commented on Ch 3 and let them know that two chapters were on the way (though it's a little earlier than what I promised) but once those two chapters were written, Jim informed me there was a little more to this story and I ended up with an epilogue. Hope you all like it :D!!!

**Author's Note:**

> alysonscarborough.tumblr.com for updates and... well... maybe stuff you've seen elsewhere? LOL


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